Teen Titans (TV series)
Teen Titans is an American animated superhero television series developed by Glen Murakami and David Slack, based on DC Comics's superhero team of the same name. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and also aired on Kids' WB!.Teen Titans became one of Cartoon Network's most beloved and critically acclaimed series, renowned for its character development and serious themes. Teen Titans has received numerous accolades, including but not limited to eight Primetime Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, three Annie Awards, two British Academy Children's Awards, a Motion Picture Sound Editors Award. It was also nominated for numerous inclusions in various publications' lists of greatest television shows. The show's boom in popularity resulted in a feature-length theatrical film, Teen Titans: The Movie, which was released on August 12, 2011, and became a critical and commercial success. Spin-off media included comics, DVD releases, video games, music albums, and collectible toys. Premise Teen Titans is based primarily on stories by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez from the 1980s, featuring characters, storylines, and concepts introduced during the run, and incorporating a similar group of members. The five main members of the titular team in the series are Robin (Scott Menville), the intelligent, capable leader of the Teen Titans; Starfire(Hynden Walch), a quirky, curious alien princess from the planet Tamaran; Cyborg (Khary Payton), a half-human/half-robot who is known for his strength and technological prowess; Raven (Tara Strong), a stoic girl from the parallel world Azarath, who draws upon dark energy and psionic abilities; and Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), a ditzy, good-natured joker who can transform into various animals. They are situated in Titans Tower, a large T-shaped building featuring living quarters, a command center, and a variety of training facilities, on an island just offshore from the fictional West Coast metropolis of Jump City. The team deals with all manner of criminal activity and threats to the city, while dealing with their own struggles with adolescence, their mutual friendships, and their limitations. The first season focuses on the Teen Titans' introduction to the mysterious supervillain Slade (Ron Perlman), who seeks to turn Robin into his apprentice. The second season is an adaption of "The Judas Contract" storyline where a new hero, Terra (Ashley Johnson), joins the team while secretly plotting against them with Slade. The third season depicts Cyborg's conflict with the evil organization H.I.V.E. and their leader Brother Blood (John DiMaggio), prompting Cyborg to form the superhero team Titans East with Aqualad (Wil Wheaton), Speedy (Mike Erwin), Bumblebee (T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh), and Más y Menos (Freddy Rodriguez). In the fourth season, Raven finds herself unwillingly involved in a plot that threatens the world when her demon father Trigon (Kevin Michael Richardson) seeks to enslave the Earth. For the fifth season, the Teen Titans join forces with numerous other heroes to combat the Brotherhood of Evil, Beast Boy's longtime adversaries, and their army of villains. Cast and characters Main cast Main article: List of Teen Titans characters * Scott Menville as Robin * Hynden Walch as Starfire * Khary Payton as Cyborg * Tara Strong as Raven * Greg Cipes as Beast Boy Secret identities Unlike most other superhero television series, the Teen Titans characters maintain their superhero identities at all times, with any hints at the concept of an alter ego or secret identity rarely explored. The secret identity of Robin, an alias assumed by multiple characters in the comics, is never explicitly revealed in the series. However, several hints are provided to suggest he is Dick Grayson, the original Robin and founding member of the Teen Titans. These include Robin's alternate dimensional counterpart Larry in the episode "Fractured" being named Nosyarg Kcid ("Dick Grayson" spelled backwards), Robin's future counterpart in the episode "How Long Is Forever?" having taken on the identity of Nightwing(Grayson's second superhero alias), his relationship with Starfire, and a glimpse into Robin's consciousness by Raven in the episode "Haunted" showing the memory of two acrobats falling from a trapeze (the death of Grayson's acrobat parents being the catalyst for him becoming Robin). Further connections to the Batman mythos include two references in the episode "The Apprentice, Pt. II", when Robin responds to a suggestion by the villain Slade that he "might be like a father to him" with "I already have a father" (which transitions to a shot of flying bats) and a fight scene on the rooftop of a building labeled Wayne Enterprises. The Teen Titans Go! episode “Permanent Record” would later satirize the mystery of Robin’s identity by explicitly giving his name as “Robin v.3: Tim Drake” (the third Robin), with the names of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd(the second Robin) being written over. Subsequent episodes, however, establish him as Grayson through flashbacks to his circus childhood. The policy of not mentioning the characters' secret identities has been broken a couple of times. In Season 5, the Doom Patrol members refer to Beast Boy by his real name, Garfield (though the Titans still continue to call him Beast Boy). In "Go!", the Titans ask Beast Boy about his mask and he states it hides his true identity, though Raven points out that his green skin makes him instantly recognizable regardless of his clothing. Starfire was called by her real name Princess Koriand'r when they visited Tamaran in "Betrothed." When Cyborg goes undercover at H.I.V.E. Academy in "Deception," he takes on the alias "Stone" as a reference to his comic counterpart's real name, Victor Stone. Later seasons of Teen Titans Go! have, though infrequently, referred to Cyborg as Victor Stone and Beast Boy as Garfield Logan. Episodes Main article: List of Teen Titans episodes Productionedit Soundtrackedit The series is known for featuring both an English4 and Japanese5 version of its title theme song, created by Andy Sturmer and performed by the Japanese band Puffy AmiYumi. The title theme used in the regions where the show was broadast varied; some would play only one version, while Japan - and the English language video editions - would use both, according to the respective episode's plot theme: The English lyrics for more serious stories, the Japanese version for more comedic tones.6 The first season episode "Mad Mod" also featured another song by Puffy AmiYumi, "K2G".6 In the feature-length movie Trouble in Tokyo, a literal translation of the Japanese song, whose actual lyrics differ greatly from its English counterpart, is performed for comedic effect.6 Cancellationedit In mid-November 2005, TitansTower.com reported that prospects for a sixth season were looking extremely unlikely, and fans were urged7 to express their support for the show to Cartoon Network. Several days after this initial posting, word came that Cartoon Network had officially terminated the show.7 According to Wil Wheaton, the actor who provided the voice of Aqualad, the series was terminated by new Warner Bros. Feature Animation executives who made the decision not to renew the series based on its sixth season pitch.8 Wheaton's story was contradicted by series story editor Rob Hoegee, who stated that the decision came from Cartoon Network, not WB, and that the crew was informed during the writing phase of season five, that there are no plans for a sixth season.9 The show's producer David Slack indicated that he was given different reasons for the show's cancellation; either the ratings dropped after "scary" season 4 or Mattel wanted the show dead because Bandai had the show's toy deal.10 Cartoon Network announced that Mattel had become its "master toy licensee" in 2006.11 After the last episode, Warner Bros. Animation announced a feature film titled Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. The film premiered at San Diego Comic-Con International and was shown on Cartoon Network first on September 15, 2006, aired on Kids' WB on September 16, 2006, and finally released on DVD on February 6, 2007. Reruns on Cartoon Networkedit Reruns of the series returned to Cartoon Network in HD on August 7, 2017. Crossover with Teen Titans Go!edit A mid-credits scene from Teen Titans Go! To the Movies featured the 2003 Titans' return, in which Robin states they've "found a way back".12 In addition, voice actress Tara Strong announced on Twitter that Warner Bros. had told her and other cast members the 2003 series could be revived if the Teen Titans Go! movie "kicked all butts".13 Later, Warner Bros. announced that a crossover featuring the Titans from both the TTG and the original 2003 versions entitled Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans set for release in 2019 is in the works.14 On June 26, 2019, IGN released the exclusive official trailer on YouTube.15 Category:TV Shows Category:EvanRocks Wiki